The Bridge: Connecting Science and Policy

May 31, 2016

Geoscience research essential to national security, experts say

By Lauren Lipuma WASHINGTON, DC — Government investment in basic science research is critical to protecting U.S. national security, according to a group of government and academic researchers. Basic geoscience research has helped the U.S. develop nuclear weapons experts, protect satellites from space weather and manage critical water supplies, scientists said during a recent congressional briefing on Capitol Hill. The May 12 briefing highlighted national security as an important, but …

December 23, 2015

What Does it Mean to Be a Geoscientist?

Today’s post is part of a series written by student bloggers from the AGU Fall Meeting. By: Emily Parker, Ph.D. student in environmental engineering, University of California, Irvine What does it mean to be a geoscientist? I did not know it was a question that needed answering – I thought it was a well-defined occupation. After attending an AGU Fall Meeting session focused specifically on what being a geoscientist means, however, …

October 12, 2015

Earth Science Education For All

Earth Science Week is 11-17 October, and Monday’s focus is Earth science literacy. Recent natural hazards, such as Hurricane Joaquin and the flooding in South Carolina, are evidence of the importance of Earth science education and knowledge. Being science literate enables scientists to provide accurate weather forecasts, and also allows society as a whole to understand and properly react to those forecasts. Earth science research and education does not only …

January 26, 2015

The State of the Climate, According to Obama

On Tuesday night, the president carried on the time-honored tradition of appearing before Congress and delivering the State of the Union address. So what exactly did he say? The President spent a full two minutes discussing the topic of climate change, which is pretty lengthy considering the totality of individual issues mentioned in a typical SOTU address. Notably, the president called out United States leadership in combating climate change: “In …

January 28, 2014

AGU’s State of the Union Wishlist

Every January, the president of the United States appears before Congress and the nation to reflect on the previous year and to set forth his agenda for the next 365 days. As President Obama embarks on his fifth State of the Union, the American Geophysical Union has put together a list of critical issues that should be included in tonight’s address.

November 19, 2013

Make STEM Education a Priority

I feel so lucky to be working at AGU as an intern in the Science department, but my geoscience career has not been without challenges and struggle. Through my inherent passion for Earth science and the confidence that a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree could provide job security, I fought to attain a B.S. from the Department of Geosciences at Penn State University. If not for the encouragement …

June 24, 2013

Placing a Value on Science

The first plenary session of the 2013 AGU Science Policy Conference, Preparing for Our Future: The Value of Science, will be a discussion about the importance of science at a pressing time. Many interesting and significant science issues are presently in the news. President Obama’s proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2014 includes a reorganization of the nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Once the world’s leader in …

May 30, 2013

Integrating Policy into Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Training

The blue line train was approaching. Only a half hour ago, we had landed at Reagan after a red-eye flight from Seattle to Atlanta, then a short flight to DC. Instead of arriving on Saturday at 10 pm, we arrived Sunday morning at 9 am. Despite being sleep-deprived, I rattled off the organizations we were going to visit tomorrow – U.S. Global Climate Research Program, Meridian Institute, and Union …